Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined 14 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over its plan to terminate federally funded school-based mental health grants at the end of July.
According to the lawsuit, ending the grants would cost Maryland schools and universities more than $3 million in funding for mental health programs.
The grants were created after Congress appropriated $1 billion to expand school-based mental health services, with the goal of bringing 14,000 mental health professionals into schools, particularly those in low-income and rural communities. During the first year of the program, nearly 775,000 elementary and secondary students nationwide received mental and behavioral health services. Sampled projects reported reduced suicide risk, lower absenteeism and behavioral issues, and increased positive student-staff engagement.
In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Education notified grantees that the grants would be discontinued, citing conflicts with the administration’s priorities. The department later stated the grants had been targeted because of their perceived support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Attorney General Brown joined a coalition lawsuit in July 2025 challenging the grant discontinuations. In December 2025, a federal court ruled the discontinuations were unlawful and issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the department from ending the grants through any means.
The coalition alleges the Department of Education is now attempting to bypass that order by terminating the grants instead of discontinuing them.
According to the attorney general’s office, the department issued continuation awards through Dec. 31, 2026, but provided only six months of funding, creating uncertainty for schools and universities. The lawsuit also alleges the department imposed additional administrative requirements that diverted resources away from student mental health services.
The new lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent the planned grant terminations.
The attorney general’s office said at least two Maryland grants are scheduled to end at the end of July:
- Bowie State University’s Ujima Center for School Counseling Scholars, which supports graduate students pursuing school counseling degrees while providing services in high-need K-12 schools. The program has enrolled 46 scholars. The proposed termination would eliminate more than $1.6 million in funding and end the program.
- The University of Maryland at Baltimore’s School-Based Mental Health Fellowship, which trains undergraduate and graduate students for employment in K-12 schools. The program has placed 82 fellows in about 50 schools over the past two years. The proposed termination would eliminate nearly $1.8 million in anticipated funding and end the fellowship.
The attorneys general argue the Department of Education’s actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution.
In addition to Maryland, the lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
